Source: SubmittedWinner of both her age group and the drawing for the U.S. Savings Bond, 8-year-old Lainey Shockro accepts her big check from CHEF Board President Rick Grier-Reynolds and Holly Monaco, director of dining services for Big Fish Grill.

More than 45 students took part in the Big Fish 5K, but for Lainey Shockro, 8, of Rehoboth it was an especially good race. She came in first in her age group and also went home with a $1,000 savings bond.

Shockro’s name was chosen at random from all the kindergarten through 12th-graders who ran in the May 3 race to take home the bond. "The race was founded to benefit the local community, especially the children, which is why we all agreed to give the scholarship this year," said Holly Monaco, director of dining operations for Big Fish Grill.

Funds from the race benefited the Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation and Rehoboth Beach Main Street.

“It was a perfect day,” said Rick Grier-Reynolds, president of the CHEF board. CHEF was created to support unfunded but important educational initiatives in the Cape Henlopen School District. “Almost half of the children in Cape are from low-income families. Funds raised by CHEF directly help these and all children at Cape.”

Some of the projects funded by CHEF include anti-bullying programs, hands-on manipulatives to help handicapped students, and support for two winning Odyssey of the Mind teams to travel to an international competition in Iowa.

The top male finisher was Steven Eschelman, Lincoln, finishing in 18:01.6. The top female runner was Jen Cawthorn of Rehoboth, with a time of 21:19.4. Other notable winners were the girls' team from Howard O. Brittingham Elementary School in Milton that took home the award for the largest team competing.

Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation has, since 2006, funded 140 teacher grant requests as well as student grants, performing arts scholarships and special anti-bullying and homelessness programs totaling more than $85,000 in educational aid to the nine schools in the Cape Henlopen School District. CHEF was also the beneficiary of the inaugural 2013 Big Fish 5K.